


Best Friend

by sombersmite



Category: DSMP - Fandom, Dream SMP - Fandom, The Dream Team - Fandom, mcyt
Genre: Hurt Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Hurt/Comfort, Hybrid Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Karlnapity, Kinda, King GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Kinoko Kingdom, M/M, Mostly hurt, Prisoner Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Sapnap visits Dream in prison, Sapnap-centric (Video Blogging RPF), implied father bbh, implied mother puffy, memories of early dsmp, post-exile tommyinnit, sapnap is akin with fire, time traveller karl implied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:41:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29780454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sombersmite/pseuds/sombersmite
Summary: After learning that Dream's talking strike was a lie, Sapnap leaves his fiances and new nation to confront him.(Set after Sapnap's first canon prison visit)
Relationships: Karlnapity - Relationship
Kudos: 61





	Best Friend

The wall of lava stood between Sapnap and his friend. This would be the second time Sapnap had come to visit Dream, but this time was different. His fingers weren't trembling. This time his chest beat in time with the lava, the flow of the magma wall followed the boys breathing- sharp, fast, angry. A thousand times before today he had practiced this conversation with Dream in his head; mundane tasks like showering and brushing his teeth had turned to screaming matches and forced closure. But that was all imagined. He didn’t need to plan for what was coming. Dream had taught him to plan his every move in advance, rehearse it, perform it like it meant something- he was tired of performing. 

He thought back to that morning, the memory started light. He rested, his back supported by the crisp grass of Kinoko Kingdom, everything about this place felt untouchable- safe from the outside world. The sun cast him a gentle warmth that allowed his eyes to grow heavy. 

“You are begging me to replace you as a founding father, Sap, you absolutely must be!” a familiar voice jested. Karl gently placed himself beside Sapnap, thoughtlessly beginning to run his hands through his fiance's overgrown hair. Sapnap noticed the cold they brought.

“I’m tired!” the black-haired boy complained, “Plus, who exactly are you replacing me with? Do you really think Quackity could do all the heavy lifting I do? honestly Karl.”  
Karl laughed lightly and began to respond before-  
“Hey! I could do your job just as well as you Sapnap, actually I have been because apparently I'm the only person actually working on your new nation!” Quackity exclaimed as he tried to hold his mock anger but quickly dropped the facade as Karl let out a chuckle. 

Playful arguments turned incoherent as their voices blended together in what felt like a competition of who could say the most words the loudest rather than a debate. Soon the atmosphere fell calm. The three boys basked in the quiet for a moment. Sapnap followed Quackity’s breathing to try and guide himself back to sleep; ignoring the light irritation that Karl’s ridiculous arm full of watches brought him whenever the boy would too carelessly brush his hand through Sapnap’s fringe.

Finally a new voice shattered their serenity, that seemed to be common these days. 

“Sapnap, can we talk?” spoke a young voice.  
“Tommy.” Sapnap greeted, “sure.”.  
The new figure, paired with his ordinary jeans and t-shirt, wore a tattered robe much too big for him. Sapnap noticed that Tommy wouldn’t allow his anxious grasp to loosen from the cape as he spoke, however he did not think much else of it. He found it difficult to care. Exhaustion at the expense of others was meaningless. He was selfish, sure, but he couldn't carry anyone else’s baggage for them. That would be pointless, and he was tired. 

Tommy began, “It’s about the big guy, uh Big D no no no definitely not Big D im gonna receive a very strongly worded message from Wilbur if i call him that again-”  
Quackity snickered, Sapnap did not.  
“Right sorrrry, I saw him yesterday and he said something kinda peculiar, I love that word, anyway he-” 

An arrow shot into Sapnaps chest, at least it felt like that, “He…spoke? like words?”  
Tommy looked down at Sapnap, his face twisted, “Um, yeah, pretty sure he spoke words.”

Sapnaps face burned hot, “Dream talked to you.”.  
The last time Sapnap had visited his best friend he was kind to him, he hid the anger burning in his chest to convince Dream that everything was going to be okay, that Dream still had a friend. All he wanted was for his friend to be okay. He even complied when Dream expressed that he was unwilling to speak to anyone, that he hadn’t in weeks. He left that visit numb. no closure, no apology, nothing. He told the prison guard, a former friend although he wasn’t so sure about that anymore, that his Dream was gone. But still the image of the kid he grew up with caged like a frightened animal, alone to die like some kind of monster- like Schlatt- made him want to tear his skin off. He still loved Dream, you don't stop loving your best friend. You just don't. 

So maybe he was just never Dream's best friend. 

“That fucking traitor.” he spat before pushing himself up and gripping the diamond blade that was secured to his belt, he would have forced himself into a sprint if Karl hadn’t first grabbed his wrist. His love was quick to jump back in pain, the palm of Karl's hand had been burnt. 

Sapnap wasn't just born of fire, he was fire. 

His second love, beside Karl, met eyes with Sapnap. His look spat venom, it was violent. Sapnap ran. 

__

The wall of lava lifted, the angry thud from Sapnaps chest deafened the screeches emerging from the magma pit below him, at least a bit. The boy born of fire was never one to fear lava, naturally, however something about the way the molten pool called to him made his eye twitch. The barrier had lifted.

Dream tilted his head up slightly to meet eyes with sapnap. It was heavy. The prisoner tucked himself into the corner of his cage. He thought if he was to privilege himself with the rest of the space given to him by the cell, the claustrophobia he owned in the corner would lose its ability to fabricate a blanket and would instead strangle him until he was mad or dead. It was about controlling the space, really. And besides, this particular corner gifted a refreshing cold which the blistering obsidian of everywhere else refused to. He wondered if Sapnap felt it too. 

“Hello.” Spoke Sapnap, voice strong, confident.

Dream felt a wave of warmth hit him, annoying really, so much for refreshing cold. His friend must be angry. 

“Dream. Speak to me. now.”

Dream felt Sapnaps anger building quicker than Sapnap did himself, at least he presumed. He was always able to predict Sapnaps emotions before he did. Not to say it was hard to know what the boy born of fire was thinking, even when he was able to contain his heat Sapnap seemed to follow the script willingly. 

Dream took a blank book from his chest and began writing, it would be no fun to sit blankly. Sapnap was always fun, he thought. Despite having winced at the feel of the grimey leather, Sapnap took the book. This amused dream, for one trying so hard to appear intimidating Sapnap was quick to do as dream asked; despite the fact he was literally looking down on him. Hah. 

Thanks for visiting, friend. 

He could see that his words fed the angry flame in Sapnap, that was visible by the hue in his face and the spreading blaze in the air. Dream laughed.

Having pushed himself upright, despite the heavy constrain of his tired muscles causing him to stumble, he faced Sapnap, mirroring his stance. Dream smirked at the clenched fist Sapnap was threatening, challenging him ‘hit me.’, although he knew it was a meaningless performance. Sapnap wasn’t going to hurt him, he wasn't weak in strength but he was attached to dream and that was weak.

“Dream.” he repeated, blunt.

A breathy laugh pained Sapnaps pride, “What's funny?” he spat, nails digging into his palm. 

Dream placed his hand on Sapnaps shoulder mockingly. The heat behind the eyes piercing Dreams made him nervous, sure. But Sapnap was too stuck in the past to see Dream as much else than the brash boy with sunflower hair he used to call his friend. Childish really, but it assured Dream that he wasn't going to be branded by Sapnaps blazing fist anytime soon. 

“Oh come on, Sapnap, what are you doing here, really? If you want to use me as a punching bag sure, your lover boy- or one of them I should say- bet you to it though. The one with the fucked up eye. He’s stronger than he looks.” he exhaled, amused, compensating for the bitter taste that the mention of Sapnaps newest attachments left in his mouth. 

A burning grip pulled the collar of Dreams dull jumpsuit, he jolted forward. “He was your friend once too.”, Sapnap grimaced. The orchestrated way in which Dream spoke was unnerving. His words were sharp and purposeful. Sapnap couldn't stand it. 

Sapnap exhaled and released dreams shirt, causing him to stumble back but only slightly. He had realised something. He was still doing just as Dream wanted him to, just like he always fucking was. When was Dream going to give up? Once, a long time ago, before factions, before wars, when the SMP was just three friends building a wooden house below a gentle summer's heat; he had told dream something. “You’d give anything to be in control.”, he had snarled in mock anger, playfully arguing over his admittedly inexpert design abilities. Dream laughed in a light way Sapnap couldn’t picture anymore and lightly punched the younger's shoulder, “oh come on, you know that's not true.”. Thinking back on it now, facing someone who looked much older than the kid he was laughing with less than a year ago, he thought that maybe he was right. Dream would give anything for control, He’d destroy himself a thousand times over in search for some short-lived power.

“You never cared about me” Sapnap whispered to avoid his voice trembling, “It’s kind of embarrassing that I held onto this idea for so long that you ever gave a fuck about me.” he exhaled a defeated laugh,  
“You know he’s gone, right? Your king ran away, I was the last person he spoke to before he went missing, he told me that he felt like you had never even existed, whatever that means.”  
“George.” Dream spoke, hurt.  
“I suppose he never cared for me that much either, Dream. I can’t say he was as ‘attached’ as you thought. Maybe at some point he was. You rubbed off on him too much, is my guess, he’s just like you now- isn't that what you wanted? He’s just like you but a whole lot fucking sadder.”  
Dream weakly held onto the seam of Sapnaps sleeve, as though the cold in the air was telling enough of what was coming.  
“So,” Sapnap frowned, “I guess this is goodbye. I don’t think i’ll come back.” He turned his back, unwilling to look through Dream's empty eyes anymore. He began beckoning the guard through his message device. 

A cold hand sent a shock down his spine as it touched his shoulder, “Please don't leave me.”, Dream spoke softly. Sapnap turned, ready to set his cell on fire. But when he locked eyes with Dream he couldn't force himself to see him as anything other than the kid he grew up with. The little boy who cried because Sapnap burned up over a cheating incident during a play-duel, and who dragged Sapnap over to eat dinner with him and his kind mother whenever Bad was too over his head in deciphering conspiracies to cook something more nutritious than cereal. He begged himself to face Dream and see a monster but he couldn't.

“Please, Sap, don't go.”, the hand that rested on Sapnap’s shoulder was beginning to shake. 

The hurt in Dreams' voice clawed at Sapnap’s skin, he desperately wanted to run, to be building a new home with Karl and Quackity on untouched welcoming land. To laugh and run around like kids, carefree and happy. But he had built a home with Dream once too.

Sapnap cautiously placed his hand on dreams back and the sunflower boy fell into his chest. He began Brushing Dreams hair out with his fingers by impulse, it was dry and brittle but he didn’t mind much. The bittersweet embrace felt like stargazing on humid summer nights, sword fights turned to apologies and bandages, and growing to warriors shoulder to shoulder. They both longed for those times again, a family of three outcast explorers. Hopes of that returning were dead but for a moment, together, they could pretend. 

Sapnap knew that he was going to be nothing by the time the story played out, Dream was a black hole. He would drain Sapnap of all he was just like he did George and himself. 

Somehow, though, Sapnap thought that would be okay. For Dream, anything was okay.

**Author's Note:**

> ayo ty for reading! i'm not super confident in my writing but this was fun to do :D I hope u liked it anyway!


End file.
